A Lesson from the Past
by Dovahkiin092
Summary: Sasuke decides to show Boruto some important moments in Naruto's life. Will Boruto learn from his father's past, or will he continue down his chosen path?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Chapter 1

A dense fog began to form in the clearing. As Boruto looked around, he couldn't see his sensei anywhere. 'Where is he?' Boruto thought. 'Where is sensei?' All of a sudden, a sharp pain erupted in Boruto's left arm. He looked to see a small gash. He searched the ground around him, finally finding the kunai that had caused the cut. He bent over to pick it up, only to receive another gash across the back of his right thigh. He stood up straight and pulled out his own kunai. He looked around, trying to find any hint of where his sensei might be hiding. However, his endeavor proved to be fruitless, as his sensei was nowhere in sight. 'Of course.' Boruto thought. 'After all, he is Sasuke Uchiha.' A blow to the head brought him back to reality. Before he knew it, he was pinned to the ground with a Chidori inches from his face.

"You are not ready yet," his sensei stated casually. "At this rate, you will never surpass your father."

Boruto glared at Sasuke. "Of course I will! I can already create five shadow clones, and I have mastered three chakra natures!"

Sasuke smirked at him. "At your age, your father could create over 1000 shadow clones. Tell me, have you learned of what your father had to go through as a child? Your life is a paradise compared to his life. He is greater than you will ever be."

Boruto was barely able to contain his rage. "What are you talking about, sensei? I thought my father was loved by the entire village? He had it better than me. At least he didn't have a father who didn't spend any time with him."

Sasuke's smirk suddenly vanished. "Training is over for today. Tomorrow will be an important lesson, so make sure that you are on time."

Boruto suddenly perked up and said, "Ok, sensei! I'll be on time!" He quickly bowed and ran off towards the village. Sasuke sighed. 'If he only knew what we had to deal with when we were younger. Well, he will learn soon enough.' Sasuke smirked again, and started the trip back to Konohagakure.


	2. Chapter 2

Boruto burst through the open doorway. His mother dropped the plate she had been holding in surprise. "You're home early. How did training go?"

"Eh," Boruto replied casually. "Just like every other day." His mother began to reply, but he ran up stairs and slammed his bedroom door closed behind him.

Boruto was glad that one thing he had in common with his mother was her meticulous cleaning. His room was spotless, everything was in the right place, and the bed had been made perfectly. He sat down at his computer and turned it on. Once it had finished turning on, he opened his favorite video game. When he checked his game ranking, he frowned. He was only ranked second in Konoha. 'Who is number one?' he thought to himself. The player's profile was imageless. No profile picture at all. He checked their statistics, and found that they were _very_ good. 'They might even be better than me... No, that's not possible. After all, I am the Hokage's son.' Boruto smirked and sat back. 'I wonder what Sasuke-sensei is planning...'

* * *

Naruto had just finished filing a mission report from Team 5 when a knock came at the door. He looked up from the paperwork to see Sasuke leaning against the door frame.

"Hey Sasuke. What's up?"

"I need your help with something."

Naruto frowned at Sasuke. "Is something wrong?"

Sasuke sighed. "Boruto is able to do all of the techniques well. However..."

What is it?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke replied, "How should I put it? He is... spoiled."

"Spoiled?"

"Yes, spoiled. Have you told him anything about your early life?"

Naruto took a sudden interest in the carpet beneath his feet. "No," he mumbled.

"You know, he sort of reminds me of myself at his age. I too believed that I could achieve my goals alone, but I was wrong. He needs to learn that right now so he doesn't go through what I did." Sasuke took a moment to let it sink in. Once it had, he continued. "He needs to learn about the path I chose and the path you chose. That is why I want your help with something..."

* * *

As Boruto arrived at the grove where he trained with Sasuke, he stopped in surprise. "That's weird," he said. "Sensei is usually on time, but he seems to be late. Oh well, I'll just practice until he gets here." He turned and began to work on his Gentle Fist technique. After an hour of waiting for Sasuke, Boruto sighed and gave up on training. He sat against a nearby tree and decided to take a nap.

It wasn't long, though, until a rustling in the bushes dragged Boruto out of his slumber. He instinctively took a kunai out of his weapon pouch, but when Sasuke appeared from the bushes, Boruto relaxed and put the kunai away.

"What took you so long, sensei?" Boruto asked, clearly annoyed by Sasuke's late arrival.

"I had to... acquire something for the lesson today. This lesson is very important, so you need to listen carefully."

Boruto looked at him with a confused look on his face. "How important is this lesson, sensei? You are even more serious than you usually are, which is something I had never thought possible. What is this lesson about?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment, and then responded. "This lesson will be different than any other lesson. This lesson is not physical; it is a mental lesson. I will be showing you some of the most important points in your father's early life. Hopefully, you will come out of this lesson with a better understanding of you father and the burdens he has had to carry in the past. If not..." He trailed off.

Boruto stood still, staring at Sasuke. "Sensei, there's something I don't understand. You said _show_ , not tell. How are you going to show me my dad's past?"

Sasuke simply replied, "Through genjutsu."

As Sasuke said that, a familar figure appeared from the woods.

"Is that you, dad?" Boruto asked, surprised.

"Yeah, it's the real me. I came here to help you with your lesson." His father smiled at him and turned to Sasuke. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I am," Sasuke responded. "Let the lesson begin."

As Boruto's sensei said this, his father began to glow. His skin and clothes became a bright yellow-orange, with black markings across his body. Naruto reached a fist out towards Sasuke, who did the same. Their fists connected, and they closed their eyes. The two were still for a long time, until Sasuke, without opening his eyes, said to Boruto, "I am about to open my right eye. Look at it, or the genjutsu will not work. Understand?"

Boruto nodded in understanding, but realized that Sasuke couldn't see the nod. Embarrassed, Boruto said, "Yes." He looked at his sensei's right eye, waiting for it to open. Finally, about a minute later, the eye opened, revealing Sasuke's sharingan. It only took a second for the genjutsu to take effect, and suddenly, Boruto woke up back in Konoha.

* * *

"Did something happen to me? Why am I back in Konoha?" But, as Boruto looked at the nearby buildings, he realized that he wasn't in Konoha. At least, the Konoha that _he_ knew. He stood up, trying to get his bearings. He was in a busy street, but nobody seemed to notice him. It was like he was invisible. 'Did the genjutsu work? Am I just observing one of my dad's memories?' A scream brought him back to reality. He immediately ran in the general direction of the scream, but when he reached the scene, he was confused.

He was in front of a shop. A man who he guessed was the shop owner stood over something. Boruto couldn't tell what it was though. The man held a broom in from of him.

"Get out of here, punk!" The man said, waving the broom. "You're a curse on this village!" The thing stood up, revealing to Boruto that it was a kid, about his age. The kid turned towards the crowd that had gathered around the scene and yelled out, "Why do you all look at me like that?! What did I do to you? I am a person too, ya know! I'm not just some monster! I hate this village!" The kid turned and ran, tears trailing behind him. Boruto saw that the kid was wearing an orange jumpsuit. Boruto was speechless. 'No way... That couldn't be... was that... dad?'

* * *

 **If you have any suggestions for where to go with the story or what memories to see, pm me please. If you have any constructive criticism on the current content, please use the reviews for that. Thanks.**


	3. Chapter 3

Boruto slowly crept towards the academy at the end of the road. He knew that he couldn't be seen, but he decided to be careful, anyways. The encounter from a few minutes ago had confused him. Wasn't his dad a hero of the village? That's what he had grown up thinking. Was his father scorned by the village when he was young? Why? What could his father have done that would elicit such an extreme reaction from that man?

Boruto frowned, determined. He had to find out what it was that was so bad about his dad. He quickened his pace, running towards the three-story building in front of him. As he had assumed, no one was outside when he arrived at the front door. Nothing had changed in the almost two decades separating his father's time and his own. Boruto stopped, coming to a stark realization. He was viewing Konoha as it was almost twenty years in the past. The thought excited him. Boruto had never really paid attention in class, and so he didn't know much when it came to the village's history. All he knew was that the time he was in had to be a few years before the Fourth Great Shinobi War. His dad must have been about twelve or thirteen in this memory.

He was so focused on his thoughts, he didn't notice the young boy walking towards the door. When he noticed the boy, he jumped in surprise. The boy had ebony hair, tied back in a ponytail. The boy's hands rested in his pockets. He had a bored expression on his face, as if the simple act of walking was a waste of time.

"Shikadai?" Boruto asked, but then remembered that this was the past. The person in front of him must have been Shikadai's father, Shikamaru, as a boy. He watched as Shikamaru walked into the building, and then followed him in.

The classroom that Boruto followed Shikamaru into was very different from his classroom. The exterior may not have been that different from the academy during his time, but the interior was. The floor was wooden, and the walls were a bluish-grey. The seats were arranged as they were in the future, but they were wooden instead of metal. The teacher was currently out of the classroom, which was in chaos. Different groups of students stood around the classroom, chatting idly. Boruto looked in the back and noticed a lone head lying of the desk. From the blonde, spiky hair, he could tell that it was his father.

He walked over to the young Naruto, wishing that he could talk to him. Just then, the teacher walked through the door, calling the classroom to order. Boruto knew who it was from his dad's pictures. It was Naruto's teacher, Iruka-sensei.

"We will now start the final exam. When your name is called, proceed to the testing room. The final test will be on the clone jutsu."

Boruto smiled to himself. His father's specialty was shadow clones. Surely, Naruto couldn't fail. However, a voice disrupted his thoughts.

 _Ugh! That's my worst technique! Great! I'm never gonna pass!_

Boruto was surprised. He had heard a voice in his head, but it wasn't his own. He turned and looked at his father, who was frowning, and Boruto realized that he had heard his father's thoughts. He figured that it had to be because he was viewing his father's memories.

Boruto stood next to his father, as the time for Naruto's turn grew closer. When Iruka finally called out Naruto's name, his father stood up and walked towards the door. Boruto followed, interested in what would happen next.

The testing room was smaller than the classroom. Two academy instructors, on of them Iruka, sat at the front of the room, and Naruto sat down in front of them.

 _Alright, get it together Naruto! You can do this! Believe it!_ Boruto heard in his head. Then, his father finally broke the silence.

"Clone Jutsu!"

A poof of smoke appeared next to Boruto's father. When it dissipated, a rather pathetic-looking clone lay face-down on the ground. Boruto sighed in defeat, while Iruka's eye began to twitch.

"You fail," Iruka said. Then, the man next to Iruka spoke up.

"Iruka, he's off and his moves weren't bad, but he did hang in there and replicate. This is his third try so you know he really wants to become a ninja," the man said to Iruka. "We could cut him a break and pass him." Boruto looked at his father, whose face wore a look of hope. Then, Iruka spoke.

"Mizuki-sensei, the other students created at least three effective replications. But Naruto could only create one, and look at it." Boruto watched as the hope on his father's face began to drain away. It's pitiful. I can't pass him."

After that, Boruto had lost sight of his father. He finally found Naruto sitting on the swing outside of the academy during the graduation ceremony. It was obvious that Naruto was depressed, but Boruto couldn't comfort him.

After the ceremony was over, Naruto disappeared again, so Boruto decided to look for him.

Boruto first checked the main road in the village, but Naruto was not there. Next he tried Ichiraku's, but he had no luck there, either. Boruto couldn't figure out where he had gone. Where else could his father have gone. Then he remembered. Didn't his father live in an apartment as a boy? With that thought in mind, Boruto spent the next hour going from apartment to apartment, until he finally found Naruto's apartment.

The first time Boruto laid eyes on the apartment, he cringed. By just looking at the door, he could tell that it was poorly maintained. He passed through the door, and found Naruto lying in bed, curled up. Instant ramen packages lay around the room, and a recently-made milk spill sat souring in the kitchen.

When he turned back to Naruto, he felt a pain in his gut. His father was laying there, broken by his latest failure, and Boruto could do nothing to help him.

"Is someone there?" Naruto asked. He sat up and faced the kitchen, looking right at Boruto. However, Boruto knew that his father was unable to see him.

Just then, a knock came at Naruto's window, and Mizuki's head popped into view.

"Oh, hey Mizuki-sensei," Naruto said. "What are you doing here?"

Mizuki smiled at Naruto and said, "I just wanted to talk to you. How about we go get some ramen, and then we talk?"

Naruto instantly perked up at the suggestion.

"Alright! As long as you're buying!"

Mizuki chuckled. "It's my treat, Naruto."

Naruto climbed out the window, and the two headed off in the direction of Ichiraku's shop. Boruto sighed. At least his dad was doing better. He didn't know what to do, what with Naruto off with Mizuki, so he decided to pay the Hokage a visit.

When he arrived at the Hokage's office, it was busier than usual. He made his way through the building until he was right outside of the Hokage's office. Weirdly, there was a large amount of noise coming from the room. Boruto, wanting to find out what was going on, entered the office.

The first thing he saw was a small group of shinobi around the Hokage. Then, he realized that they were all yelling.

"What should we do, Hokage-sama?"

"If we don't do something, the village will be in danger!"

"I knew we shouldn't have..."

Boruto was barely able to discern the individual questions and remarks. Suddenly, one voice was very clear.

"Silence!" the Hokage ordered, and the entire room obeyed. The Hokage then cleared his throat.

"We must find the scroll. Iruka, Mizuki, gather as many chunin and jonin as you can possibly find, and send them to the northern gate. I will meet them there."

Boruto tried to process all of this information. An important scroll was missing, and the shinobi were gathering at the northern gate? Who would take the scroll? A spy? A traitor? Worse?

However, the Hokage said one more thing that turned Boruto's head spin.

"Naruto must not be allowed to escape with that scroll."

 **Sorry this took so long guys, I really am. Anyways, I wanted to ask this question so that, when I finish this, I have enough responses to choose. The question is: When I finish this, which of these would you like me to do next?**

 **1\. A Tokyo Ghoul fanfiction**  
 **2\. A Bleach fanfiction**  
 **3\. A story that I have written**

 **Please either post a review or pm me with your choice. That's it for now guys. I should be getting the next chapter out soon, guys. Thank you so much for sticking with me for the last few weeks, even though I haven't updated for a while.**


	4. Chapter 4

Boruto's couldn't speak. His father stole an important scroll? Why would he do that? If Naruto wanted to be Hokage, why would he do something so damaging to the village? But then, Boruto thought back to Naruto's treatment by the villagers, his latest failure to graduate, and Boruto came to the conclusion that he did it to get revenge on the village. Why else would he do such a thing?

Boruto left the Hokage's building and headed towards the northern gate as fast as he could. He had to know what happened to his father. Since he knew that his father had become Hokage, it couldn't be anything that bad.

When Boruto reached the gate, a large group of shinobi had already gathered. At the head of the group was the third Hokage himself. As he approached the crowd, Boruto could make out some of the things the shinobi were saying.

"Lord Hokage! This is not just a prank! This is a serious crime!"

"That scroll contains secrets that were sealed by the first Hokage, secrets known only to our village!"

"If it falls into the wrong hands it could destroy our entire way of life."

As the ninja spouted their worries to the Hokage, Boruto realized that his father was in much more trouble than he had previously thought. This wasn't just any important scroll; it was a scroll full of village secrets. If they caught Naruto, Boruto had no idea what would happen to his father. At that moment, the Hokage spoke up.

"Alright. Bring Naruto here at once!"

"Sire!" the shinobi responded, and they disappeared to begin searching for Naruto.

Boruto didn't know what to do. Should he wait until his father was found? No, he had a feeling that what happened right now was important. His best bet would be to follow one of the shinobi. The problem was, which one? He had to choose quickly, or he would lose them. He finally decided on Iruka, and disappeared into the undergrowth after him.

Iruka searched a large portion of the village's edge, but couldn't find Naruto, so he decided to look for him in the woods. Boruto followed him past the treeline and into the forest that surrounded the Hidden Leaf Village. After searching for a while, Boruto heard a noise off to his left, and Iruka turned and began to head in that direction. They eventually came upon a clearing. In the center, Naruto sat with scroll on his back. He was clearly tired out. Iruka walked over, put his hands on his hips and stared at Naruto. He was clearly angry.

"It's all over," Iruka said, and laughed. However, Naruto just put his hand behind his head and laughed back. Boruto was just as surprised as Iruka was.

"Huh?" they both said at the same time, although Naruto could only hear Iruka. Why was Naruto laughing?

"Caught me already? Not bad. Your quick, sensei. I only had time to learn one technique." Again, Boruto was surprised. Was his father practicing out here? Was that why he had taken the scroll? Boruto was confused. What were Naruto's intentions?

"Listen, Iruka-sensei! I'm gonna show you this amazing jutsu and you're gonna let me graduate! Then everything will okay! That's the way it works, right? Anyone who learns a jutsu from this scroll passes." Naruto grinned at Iruka, but Iruka was dumbfounded.

"Huh?! Where'd you get that idea?!"

Naruto started to wave his arms. " Mizuki-sensei told me about it! Believe it!" He spun around to show Iruka the scroll. "He told me where to find the scroll and this place..." Then Naruto stopped, confused as to why Iruka looked shocked.

"Huh?" Iruka asked. "Mizuki?" He turned around, but quickly turned back and pushed Naruto out of the way of the incoming kunai. However, a few hit Iruka in the leg and arm. Boruto was too shocked to speak. A voice emanated from the forest.

"I see you found our little hide away," Mizuki said.

"So that's the way it is huh?" Iruka responded angrily. "I should have known!"

Mizuki appeared in a tree near Boruto. He spoke directly to Naruto. "Naruto! Give me the scroll now!"

Naruto only said, "Wait a minute!" He looked at Iruka, and then back to Mizuki. "What's going on here!?" It was clear to Boruto that his father didn't understand, but he also could tell that Naruto knew, deep down, that it was bad.

Iruka responded first. He took a deep breath and pulled out one of the kunai.

"Naruto! Don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It contains forbidden jutsu that can put this village in grave danger! Mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself for his own power!" Naruto gasped.

"Naruto!" Mizuki shouted. "Iruka is just trying to scare you 'cause he doesn't want you to have the scroll."

"Huh?" Naruto said, and looked at Iruka.

"Stop lying, Mizuki!" Iruka yelled, and then addressed Naruto. "Don't let him trick you, Naruto!"

Mizuki laughed diabolically. "Oh, I'll tell you who's _really_ lying."

"No Mizuki!" Iruka pleaded.

Mizuki ignored him, and continued. "They've been lying to you your whole life, Naruto. Since the decree twelve years ago."

Naruto looked at Mizuki, shocked and curious at once. "What decree?"

Mizuki smiled. "Everyone knows except you. Iruka's trying to hide it from you even now. He'd do anything to shut me up!"

"What is this decree?" Naruto asked, wanting to know. "Why does everyone else know about it?"

"Don't tell him!" Iruka cried. "It's forbidden!"

Mizuki ignored Iruka again. "The decree is that no one can tell you the nine-tail fox is inside you!"

Boruto and his father stared at Mizuki, shocked. They couldn't speak.

Naruto was a Jinchuriki?

 **Sorry for so little action in this chapter, but in my defense, there wasn't much action at this point, so... anyways, I plan to release this weekly (hopefully), so expect it every Sunday. Other than that, keep sending me which story you would prefer after this one, and have a great day.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Boruto."

"Boruto!"

"BORUTO!"

The sound of Konohamaru-sensei's voice dragged Boruto out of his sleep.

"Huh?" he said groggily. "Kono-Konohamaru-sensei? Is that you?"

*THUMP* The book hit Boruto's head dead-on. He sat up and began to rub the bump that was forming on his head.

"Why'd you do that, Konohamaru-sensei?" Konohamaru's face contorted with rage.

"WERE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!" Boruto rubbed the back of his head and smiled guiltily at him.

"O-of course, sensei! I heard everything you said!"

"Oh, really?" Konohamaru asked him, annoyed. "Then answer me this: what's a jinchuriki?"

Boruto frowned.

"Um, a jinchuriki is... a jinchuriki... um..." Konohamaru smiled.

"So you _weren't_ listening, were you?" Boruto pouted.

"No, I wasn't, but... but it's so boring, Konohamaru-sensei! Why can't we go on a mission?"

"Boruto, genin need to do more than just go on missions all the time!" Konohamaru sighed. "Boruto, this topic applies to you more than anyone else."

"Huh?" Boruto responded. "Why me?" Konohamaru hesitated.

"Well, uh... I'll let your father deal with that. All you need to know is that this is an important subject." This time, it was Boruto's turn to sigh.

"Okay, sensei. I promise to listen this time."

"Okay," said Konohamaru. "A jinchuriki is..."

 _..._

 _...a person who has a tailed beast sealed within them_ _,_ Boruto thought to himself. _My dad has the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of him?_ He thought back to his father in his time. _Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't_ anybody _tell me?_ Boruto was angry that everyone had kept this secret from him. Did the other children know? Had they been lying to him as well? Boruto doubted it, but he was still angry. Why was he learning something this important _now_? Couldn't they have told him this before?

Then he realized that the young Naruto was learning this for the first time, as well. The difference was that Boruto's father was a jinchuriki, while Naruto _was_ the jinchuriki.

"Why am I being so selfish?" Boruto asked himself. "Learning this doesn't affect my life much. After all, _I'm_ not the jinchuriki; my dad is. So why am I so mad?" He looked back at the developing situation.

"The fox spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body," Mizuki said to Naruto. "You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!"

"STOP IT!" yelled Iruka.

"They've all been sneaking around, hiding things from you your whole life," continued Mizuki. "Didn't you think it was strange how they treated you? Like dirt? Like they hated you for just being alive?"

"No." Naruto said. "No. No. No. No!" Blue chakra began to circle around Naruto.

"Naruto..." Iruka said in despair.

"That's why you will never be accepted in this village," said Mizuki. "Even your beloved sensei hates your guts!"

Iruka groaned in pain.

Mizuki drew a giant shuriken.

"Die, Naruto!"

Naruto, scared, tried to move out of the way before it could find its target.

"Naruto, get down!" Iruka ordered. Naruto obeyed, and lay flat on the ground. Boruto closed his eyes, afraid of what would happen.

When Boruto opened his eyes, Iruka stood over Naruto, the giant shuriken sticking out of his back, while Naruto just stared up in shock. Iruka groaned in pain. Drops of blood landed onto Naruto's cheek.

"Why?" Naruto asked, astonished at what Iruka had done.

Iruka was silent for a moment, and then said, "Because we're the same. When I lost my parents, no one seemed to care. They didn't have time for me. They just forgot I was there. My grades dropped, and I became the class clown. I just wanted them to see me, and to know my name. My schoolwork wasn't good enough to get their attention, so I did crazy things, and then I had to pay for it. It was hard." He sniffed.

"I know that's how you feel, Naruto. You feel lonely, and it hurts inside. I could have been there for you more." Naruto gasped.

"I let you down. I'm sorry. No one should have to suffer that much. No one should be alone like that." Mizuki just chuckled.

"Don't make me laugh! Iruka always hated you. He was orphaned because the Nine-Tailed Fox killed his parents. And that beast is now inside _you_. He'd say anything to get the scroll from you." Boruto turned to Naruto in time to see him bolt away from the two shinobi as Iruka yelled his name.

Mizuki landed a few yards behind Iruka, and laughed.

"You know, once he makes up his mind, nothing can change it," Mizuki said. "He's going to use the scroll to take revenge on the village. You saw that look in his eye, didn't you? Those are the eyes of a beast."

Iruka's hand reached behind him, and, with a grunt, pulled the giant shuriken out of his back.

"No," he said. "Naruto isn't like THAT!" He spun around, and used his momentum to throw the shuriken back at Mizuki. However, Mizuki easily sidestepped the attack and laughed.

"Your a joke," Mizuki replied. "As soon as I eliminate Naruto and get the scroll, I'll be back for you." Then, Mizuki dashed out of the clearing to find Naruto. After a few moments, Iruka began to chase after Mizuki, with Boruto close on his trail. _Don't let something bad happen to dad..._

For an injured man, Iruka was quick, and Boruto soon lost track of him. However, it wasn't long until he happened upon Naruto, and Boruto began to chase after him.

Soon enough, Iruka found him as well, and said, "Naruto! Everything Mizuki said was a lie! Give me the scroll! Hurry! He's coming after you to take it away!" Iruka stopped right in front of Naruto, but to both Iruka's and Boruto's surprise, Naruto tackled Iruka, sending them both to the ground.

"It can't be," Iruka said, struggling to get up off of the ground. Naruto sat against a nearby tree, breathing hard. "How did you know, Naruto? H-how did you know..." With a puff of smoke, the transformation jutsu wore off, and Mizuki sat, glaring at Naruto. "...that it was me, and not Iruka?" Naruto grinned, and, with a puff of smoke, the transformation jutsu wore off, except that it was Iruka this time, and not Mizuki.

"Because," he said, "I'm Iruka."

Mizuki stood up, saying, "Your a fool. Why are you protecting that freak? He's the one that wiped out your family!"

"I don't care what you say," Iruka replied. "You're not getting your hands on that scroll."

Mizuki laughed arrogantly and said, "As if you could stop me. Don't you get it? Naruto is just like me."

"How's that?" Iruka asked.

"He wants the scroll for his own power and his own vengeance. That's how beasts are. He'll pour all his rage into the scroll and destroy everything." Boruto was getting more and more irritated. How could Mizuki say these things about Naruto? His father wasn't a freak, and he certainly wasn't a beast, that's for sure. Boruto wished that he could physically alter these events. He really wanted to go over there and punch Mizuki in the gut for disrespecting his dad.

"Your right," said Iruka. Boruto couldn't believe it. Did Iruka just agree that Naruto was a beast?

Iruka continued. "That is how beasts are. But that's not who Naruto is. He's nothing like that." Boruto was surprised. Iruka was on Naruto's side, after all.

"Naruto's one of a kind," Iruka continued, "works hard, puts his whole heart into it. Sure, he messes up sometimes, and everyone jumps on him, but his suffering only makes him stronger. That's what separates him from being a beast. So you're wrong. He's nothing like the Nine-Tailed Fox. He's Naruto Uzumaki, of the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Mizuki only laughed dismissively and drew his second giant shuriken.

"You really believe that dribble? Iruka, I was gonna save you for later, but I changed my mind." Mizuki began to spin his shuriken. "You're finished!" He charged at Iruka, ready to deliver the killing blow.

Just as Mizuki was about to reach Iruka, Naruto appeared out of nowhere and headbutted Mizuki. As Mizuki flew backwards, his shuriken flew away into the forest.

"Not bad," Mizuki admitted, struggling to his feet, "for a punk." Naruto glared at him.

"If you ever lay a hand on my sensei, I'll kill you!"

Such big words," responded Mizuki. "I can completely destroy you in a single move!" Boruto watched as Naruto's hands moved into a familiar cross-shaped hand sign.

"Take your best shot, fool. I'll give it back to you a thousand-fold."

"Let's see you try!" Mizuki yelled back. "Show me what you can do, Nine-Tailed Fox!"

Naruto uttered a phrase familiar to Boruto, the first out of countless times afterwards.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Suddenly, a thousand shadow clones filled the clearing. Both Mizuki and Iruka stared in astonishment.

"Huh? What?" Mizuki said confused. "What is this? Huh?" He turned his head from side to side, completely surrounded by hundreds of shadow clones. He fell backwards, too scared to do anything. The shadow clones kept teasing him.

"If you're not gonna do anything..."

"Then we're gonna come after YOU!"

Mizuki yelled in fear as the shadow clones descended on him from every side. He stood no chance against Naruto's shadow clones.

After the fight was done, Naruto stood, laughing and rubbing the back of his head, while Mizuki lay in front of him, groaning.

"Sorry," Naruto said. "I kinda got carried away. You okay, Iruka-sensei?"

"Yeah," Iruka replied and smiled. "Hey Naruto, come here a minute. I've got something I want to give you." Naruto nodded, and he walked over to Iruka, who had stood up from his spot against the tree.

"Alright, now close your eyes, Naruto." Naruto nodded gleefully, and shut his eyes.

Boruto watched as Iruka took off his shinobi headband, and then took off Naruto's goggles. After he had done that, he carefully tied the headband onto Naruto's head, so as not to give Naruto any hints as to what he was doing.

"Sensei, how much longer?" Naruto complained to Iruka.

Iruka simply said, "Okay, you can open your eyes now." Naruto did just that, and the first thing he saw was a smiling Iruka, without his headband. At that moment, beams of sunlight broke through the canopy, and shed light on the peaceful clearing.

"Congratulations," Iruka said to Naruto. "You graduate." Naruto stood there, speechless, while Iruka continued.

"And to celebrate, I have a surprise. We're going out for ramen tonight." Iruka, suspicious of the silence, looked at Naruto, confused. Then, Naruto hugged Iruka, knocking him to the ground, saying, "Iruka-sensei!" Iruka complained about the pain that was caused by the hug, and then they both began to laugh.

Boruto stood a few yards away, watching this incredible moment. This was his dad's first bond. This must have been one of the most important moments of his life. Boruto thought back to when that shop owner was yelling at young Naruto, and then he thought about how his father was treated by the villagers in his time. He began to see how those two existences could be connected. His father, through moments like this one, was able to go from the reject of the village, to the hero of the village. He thought about his dad, and all the things he could learn from his dad's life, as his vision faded to black.

 **(Writing this author's note at 11:30 at night) I would like to thank you guys for hanging in with me through these last few chapters. I know they might have been a little boring, but hopefully, as we move on through his memories, the chapters will get better. That's it for me, I really need to get to sleep now (I've got a presentation to do tomorrow), so keep an eye out for my next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

Boruto woke up in a familiar clearing. With a groan, he managed to sit up, a splitting headache plaguing him. He looked up to see Sasuke looking back at him.

"Well?" Sasuke asked him, expecting an answer.

"Well, I... uh..." Boruto struggled to find something to say.

Sasuke stared at him, waiting patiently.

"I, uh, learned that... oh! I learned that dad's a jinchuriki!"

"That's a good start," Sasuke said. "Anything else?"

Boruto thought for a moment.

"Oh, I also learned that he was hated by the village as a child," he said. "It was because he was the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, right?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Okay," Sasuke said. "That's enough for today. We'll continue these lessons a few days from now, but until then, get some rest."

Boruto stood up and brushed himself off. He left the clearing, heading in the direction of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Sasuke looked at the sword at his hip.

 _He picked up on the lesson quickly,_ Sasuke thought to himself. _But the question is, will he put it into practice?_

He looked at Boruto's shrinking image, and smiled.

 _He learns quickly, like I did when I was his age_ _, but he's also empathetic, like his father. By the end of these lessons, what kind of person will Boruto Uzumaki be?_

* * *

"Alright, I think that about does it."

Naruto sighed and set the last paper on top of the pile in front of him. He rested his head in his hands, recovering from the hours of paperwork that he had just finished.

"So much _paper_..."

A sudden knock at the door caught his attention. He looked up to see Sasuke standing in the doorway.

"Oh, Sasuke," Naruto said, surprised. "I guess this means that Boruto woke up." Sasuke nodded.

"He completed the lesson successfully. He should be resting in his room right now." Naruto sighed in relief.

"Oh, by the way," Sasuke said casually. "He knows you're a jinchuriki now." Naruto nearly choked.

"Are you surprised?" asked Sasuke.

"I certainly am. He didn't know I was a jinchuriki?" Sasuke stared at him like he was crazy.

"Your surprised that he _didn't_ know you were a jinchuriki?"

"Well, yeah," answered Naruto. "I thought that somebody had told him, or that he had learned it at the academy."

Sasuke sighed.

"You're hopeless..."

All of a sudden, a Hidden Leaf messenger appeared behind Sasuke, who stepped aside to let him in. He bent over, out of breath from the run.

"Lord Hokage, I have a message for you. I was told to give it to you directly." Naruto took the scroll from the messenger, who dismissed himself from the office. Naruto read it. His eyes widened, and he held it out in front of him.

"Read it, Sasuke..."

* * *

Three days after the lesson, Boruto woke up early. It was the day of the next lesson, and Boruto was excited. He finished his breakfast quickly, said goodbye to his mother and sister, and hurried to the clearing.

When he got there, his father and Sasuke were waiting for him. Sasuke was the first one to speak.

"Today's lesson, along with the next few, will have to be held on the road." Boruto was confused.

"What do you mean, sensei?" This time, it was his father who spoke.

"Sasuke and I have something important to deal with, so we will need to do the lessons while on the mission. We should have enough time for at least three lessons, including this one." Boruto thought it through, and noticed a problem.

"Wait, what about me? When I'm in the genjutsu, I can't move, ya know."

"Oh, that's simple," Naruto said. "I'll be carrying you on my back, so you don't have to worry!" He grinned. Sasuke cleared his throat to get their attention.

"If there are no more questions, then let's be off." Naruto nodded in agreement, and looked back at Boruto.

"Alright, time for the genjutsu!"

"Just like last time," Sasuke said to Boruto. He and Naruto bumped fist, and closed their eyes. Boruto looked directly at Sasuke's left eye, which opened, revealing his rinnegan. It takes only a fraction of a second for the genjutsu to take effect, and Boruto drifted off into darkness.

"Alright," said Naruto as he picked Boruto's unconscious body up. "We should leave as soon as possible. If we don't, our job will become more difficult." Sasuke nodded, and they left the clearing.

 **Sorry for such a short chapter, but on the bright side, the next one will be the next memory, and much longer. Like Naruto said, there will be about three or four more memories, so, if you have any idea as to which memory I should use next, feel free to tell me either through a pm or review. Anyways guys, sorry for such a short chapter, and thank you for sticking with the story.**


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